In general, water contains dissolved gas molecules such as oxygen and nitrogen in ppm order. By passing it through a hollow fiber membrane module, it is possible to deaerate it to the order of parts per billion (ppb). This deaeration process is used for removing bubbles from test solutions and cleaning water in analytical instruments. Examples of analytical instruments include liquid analyzers and medical blood analyzers.
In liquid analyzers, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is commonly used. HPLC is a separation technique in which a liquid, known as the mobile phase, is pumped through a column at a constant rate. When pressure and temperature increase during the pumping process, bubbles can form from dissolved gases, leading to various issues with the pump, column, and detector. Therefore, a deaeration device is typically used upstream of the pumping system. Helium gas displacement is the most effective deaeration method but can be costly to run. On the other hand, deaeration using a hollow fiber membrane module offers the advantage of low running costs and easy handling.
In medical blood analyzers, biochemical analysis devices are employed. Biochemical analyzers perform component analysis of blood or urine using the absorbance photometry method. This method measures the concentration of components by analyzing the intensity of transmitted light when it passes through a liquid. In these devices, the sample is diluted with pure water, reacted with reagents to induce specific component emission, and then analyzed by shining light through the solution. If bubbles are present in the solution, they can create detection noise when the transmitted light hits them, resulting in inaccurate measurement results. Therefore, by using a hollow fiber membrane module to deaerate the dilution water and cleaning water of the sample, it is possible to reduce detection noise during analysis and obtain more accurate analytical results.
